Leaders press for UAAP reforms:‘A moral crisis’

Concerned sports leaders warned against a "moral crisis" in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines and demanded that permanent solutions be adopted to wipe out malpractices particularly in the acquisition of Fil-Americans to level the playing field and give justice to Filipino talents.

Without mentioning names, Fr. Carmelo Caluag, Ateneo vice president for planning and development and alumni affairs, raised the alarm in his letter to the UAAP board following a tumultuous season that had placed schools like National U, Adamson U, Far Eastern U, and University of Santo Tomas on the losing end of the current practice of hiring players.

"The eligibility rules lie at the heart of this issue. It is common knowledge to most of us that despite efforts to plug the holes in our eligibility rules, there is always a counter effort to get around the rules," said Caluag, also chaplain of the Ateneo Blue Eagles and Ealets.

"Without any desire to be self-righteous, we need to take a stand and say enough is enough," Caluag added.

Caluag bewailed that the UAAP has now become a "semi-professional" league where hiring of Fil-Americans, to the detriment of local talent, has become prevalent.

The balance has tilted in favor of schools with an organized system of recruitment among Fil-Americans, disenfranchising Filipino students which are the "primary clients we wish to serve."

"While we confess that we have also been on the lookout for such (Fil-Americans), we still ask ourselves, is this fair; fair to the other schools, but above all, fair to our young Filipino athletes, particularly the basketball players, who, generally, are disadvantaged every time we bring in a Fil-Am," Caluag said.

Some of the schools that enrolled Fil-Ams for the 2001 season are La Salle, Ateneo and University of the East .

On the ongoing Ateneo-La Salle championship series, Caluag pointed out that

* officiating was spotty in Game One

* a hate campaign was deliberately levelled at Ateneo coach Joe Lipa for his remarks on Game One

* Ateneo was unfairly accused of dictating to some members of the UAAP board.

He said the UAAP board was quick to review the tapes in a pre-championship game and subsequently suspended Lipa and Ateneo slotman Enrico Villanueva without due process.

However, it did not make a similar move in the case of La Salle’s Ram Carlo Sharma.

"These incidents compel us to seriously consider and make a decision soon about setting up a permanent secretariat and improving the officating of our games," said Caluag, who also blasted the ABA, hired by the UAAP to officiate the 2001 games, for spotting officiating. "We owe to our atletes who work hard for the league to make sure that years, months of hard work and perseverance will not be thrown to waste by spotty, if not at times unfair, officiating."

"I make this appeal now to our UAAP board... let us come together to resolve ... a moral crisis," he said.